Should I buy this Golf R??

[andy118run]

Ok, so I've been searching for forever and a day for a suitable replacement for my 2014 Focus ST which has been wonderful.

Kind of fancy a BMW 335d or 330d, though I've taken a bit of a shine to other stuff, including a Golf R.

The one posted above has just popped up on AT and is literally 10 minutes walk from my house.

So, my questions -

-The elephant in the room is its MOT history - sold and MOT'd in 2019 - done around 3,000 miles and not MOT'd since (until the recent no advisory MOT by the dealer).
Any suggestions why? I know we had covid, but I still MOT'd my car. Maybe the owner died?

-Is so few recent miles in a car like this going to be an issue? Any car I buy will be travelling several thousand miles in the coming months, family holidays etc. Maybe the suspension components will have rusted, the alternator won't be up to the task (I only mention these things as I once bought a Volvo S60 T5 which had stood for ages, and both the aforementioned needed replacing within weeks)?

-And just general Golf R advice as I'm a little lazy to do my research at present - anything I need to be looking at in terms of servicing, cambelt (?), how is the manual gearbox (wanted a DSG really)?

Many thanks for any tips....
:---)

[Bryanwww]

Waterpump/thermostat cracks and leaks. It's a standard VW feature that they break just out of lease and warranty.

Can't see if it has it but the DCC dampers might need a refresh around that mileage.

EA888 is chain driven so no cambelt.

Manual gearbox is okay but not as quick as DSG obviously. If you want to get any more power you'll need to get an updated clutch. The standard one isn't quite up to dealing with the stock power and may start slipping around that sort of mileage. Stage one will get you to around 350-370bhpish.

Servicing - there is a diff that needs servicing too which is about £150 every couple years. Find a specialist as VW dealerships are clueless.

18 inch wheels are better than 19 for a daily (but that goes for any car really)

PH had a buyer's guide on them, would be a good start to read that.

Edited by Bryanwww on Wednesday 28th June 19:33

[Auto810graphy]

Best thing is pick up the phone and ask them. Does seem a little strange but there is probably a reason. In regards manual Golf R’s, clutches don’t seem to last.

[andy118run]

Bryanwww said:

Waterpump/thermostat cracks and leaks (think it's a standard VW feature that they break just out of lease and warranty).

Can't see if it has it but the DCC dampers might need a refresh around that mileage.

EA888 is chain driven so no cambelt.

Manual gearbox is okay but not as quick as DSG obviously. If you want to get any more power you'll need to get an updated clutch. The standard one isn't quite up to dealing with the stock power and may start slipping around that sort of mileage

Edited by Bryanwww on Wednesday 28th June 19:28

Ah. You are putting me off already. I mean, it has a year warranty but most of that stuff is not going to be covered...

[Bryanwww]

andy118run said:

Bryanwww said:

Waterpump/thermostat cracks and leaks (think it's a standard VW feature that they break just out of lease and warranty).

Can't see if it has it but the DCC dampers might need a refresh around that mileage.

EA888 is chain driven so no cambelt.

Manual gearbox is okay but not as quick as DSG obviously. If you want to get any more power you'll need to get an updated clutch. The standard one isn't quite up to dealing with the stock power and may start slipping around that sort of mileage

Edited by Bryanwww on Wednesday 28th June 19:28

Ah. You are putting me off already. I mean, it has a year warranty but most of that stuff is not going to be covered...

Despite what it looks like its a pretty high performance car so it's not gonna be dirt cheap to run.

Uprated clutch and stage 1 is about £2500 including fitting and that turns it into a very quick car.

Waterpump should be covered by warranty but it's £350 + about half a day labour to fit out of warranty.

Might not have DCC as that's an option, dampers are generally not covered under warranty. They are fairly pricey and if you are keeping it long term coilover might be worth considering.

My cupra needed a new high pressure fuel pump and injector around that mileage too but that might just be bad luck.

[Canon_Fodder]

Do all the checks to try to rule out salvage/repaired

Assess whether the dealer will honour your consumer rights, should it turn out to be a dud

[3dge]

It's worth doing a Gold check with them.

I recently viewed a Golf R which seemed good on the surface and was HPI clear. The Gold check uncovered that it had had front end damage and was salvaged and put back on the road.

Obviously I walked away at that point . . .

[McMoose]

A Golf R in red?
The mind boggles.

[Easternlight]

McMoose said:

A Golf R in red?
The mind boggles.

Questioning somebody's colour preference!
The mind boggles.

[the tribester]

What's your insurance quote like?

[andy118run]

the tribester said:

What's your insurance quote like?

Dunno, though as a 50 yr old bloke, with 30 plus years driving, I've yet to come across a car that gives me a problem in that respect.

Thanks for the advice of others above, I'm inclined to give this one a miss based on what people are saying, though I'll certainly sleep on it for now, and see how I feel. I'm guessing it won't hang around long though.

[andy118run]

Easternlight said:

McMoose said:

A Golf R in red?
The mind boggles.

Questioning somebody's colour preference!
The mind boggles.

Yeh, when buying a used car, price/miles/condition are all pretty important to me. The colour rather less so...

[Dimebars]

Is the (lack of) MOT history perhaps explained by a private plate being on the car previously?

As mentioned, do your due diligence. V-check, car vertical or similar. Ask on Golf R forums and pages if anyone knows the car.

[duckson]

Clutch was slipping on my Leon Cupra manual after about 12k miles, it’s the same engine but FWD. They really are chocolate, a DSG is a much better option IMO (had a DSG Cupra after the manual).
Car wasn’t mapped and hadn’t been thrashed!

[Fastdruid]

Bryanwww said:

Waterpump should be covered by warranty but it's £350 + about half a day labour to fit out of warranty.

Ours (2015) failed horrifically on emissions on the first MOT after we'd bought it. Turned out (apparently) to be the water pump/thermostat . Covered under the warranty from the dealer but would have been a £1000 bill otherwise. Think when I looked into it there was rather more than £350 in parts but can't remember exactly how much.

Problem is though... there was no sign. No leaks, no nasty noises, no warning lights, not even any DTC's. Drove absolutely fine. Just a fail on the MOT, absolutely no way to spot it.

[DaveyBoyWonder]

Hows your house security?

[Bryanwww]

Fastdruid said:

Bryanwww said:

Waterpump should be covered by warranty but it's £350 + about half a day labour to fit out of warranty.

Ours (2015) failed horrifically on emissions on the first MOT after we'd bought it. Turned out (apparently) to be the water pump/thermostat . Covered under the warranty from the dealer but would have been a £1000 bill otherwise. Think when I looked into it there was rather more than £350 in parts but can't remember exactly how much.

Problem is though... there was no sign. No leaks, no nasty noises, no warning lights, not even any DTC's. Drove absolutely fine. Just a fail on the MOT, absolutely no way to spot it.

How's the waterpump connected to emissions?

Was a very slow leak in mine as the whole thing is made of brittle plastic and cracks, but I've heard standard VW models have the same issue anyway. I did expect with the engine being fairly old they would've revised all the known issues out but instead they've just cost cut to the bone (and just look at how crap the mk8 is - no buttons, computer systems that confuse miles and km etc.)

[Fastdruid]

Bryanwww said:

Fastdruid said:

Bryanwww said:

Waterpump should be covered by warranty but it's £350 + about half a day labour to fit out of warranty.

Ours (2015) failed horrifically on emissions on the first MOT after we'd bought it. Turned out (apparently) to be the water pump/thermostat . Covered under the warranty from the dealer but would have been a £1000 bill otherwise. Think when I looked into it there was rather more than £350 in parts but can't remember exactly how much.

Problem is though... there was no sign. No leaks, no nasty noises, no warning lights, not even any DTC's. Drove absolutely fine. Just a fail on the MOT, absolutely no way to spot it.

How's the waterpump connected to emissions?

I know! I was just as bemused but Lambda was totally out. Changed the waterpump/thermostat and it flew through the test (and the ones after too).

The only thing I could think of was that if the ECU isn't receiving the correct temperature it's permanently running on "cold start" and hence over-fueling.

[andy118run]

DaveyBoyWonder said:

Hows your house security?

That was another thing that did cross my mind. Not so worried about home, where car crime is probably lower than many areas.

However, we do stay in the Manchester area a few times each year (usually Air BnBs) as we have family there.

Anyway, thanks for the continued advice from everyone - given the info, I can't see me going for a near 10 year old manual Golf R anytime soon (though not totally ruled out as yet.)

[zedx19]

Drive one before you make a decision, I drove 2 and found them boring tbh, neither seemed to need much involvement from the drive even at full chat. I then drove a GTi and it felt a lot more lively and involving, you had to drive it more than the R. Had a GTi for 2 and half years, still love it and I've come for a mk2 Focus ST. I've had no problems with the GTi at all, bar routine servicing and a set of tyres.